The Call to Adventure — Skipping the 9-5 to Travel the World

Why I am traveling in 2023 & how you can join me!

Macy Lu

Mar 15, 2023

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A year ago I never would have imagined that I’d be drafting a newsletter from the home of a hippie Florida couple I’d met three weeks ago, nearly 2,000 miles from all my friends and family.

Life was supposed to be generic, my path as straight as an arrow’s flight…Until it wasn’t.

Throughout the last 4 years, whenever someone asked me, “What do you want to do out of college?” I always delivered my trademark reply, “I have no idea.”

It was both a curse and a blessing—A curse because I was often anxious over my future and a blessing because I remained open to possibilities, one of them being my lifelong aspiration to travel the world.

My adventure actually began in October 2022, when I left for my first solo trip to the Oregon Coast, taking with me just the bare necessities: A carry-on, a backpack, and a heart full of wonder. After the holidays, I tossed myself and what few worldly belongings I owned onto a plane and found myself down in Bayou Country. Then, it was off to the Sunshine State for me.

Seeing how I’ve been nomadic for well over four months now, I feel that it’s time I offer y’all back home an explanation on

My lifestyle change
How I am traveling affordably
And how YOU can be part of this adventure

To understand why I am traveling, we have to first take a drive through my psyche.

I love novelty. Even as a starry-eyed adolescent, I’d often dream of exchanging the formulaic routines of my sedentary, suburban life for a life of travel and risk. The lure of distant shores, unfamiliar sensories, and colorful individuals from equally colorful cultures overrules my fear of the unknown.

God made the world so mind-boggling vast and filled it with such a rich variety of…well, EVERYTHING! To confine myself to just one corner of the globe (namely California) feels wrong. It’s like going to a buffet with a thousand different options and choosing the same dish over and over and over and over. It’s bland. It’s exasperating. It’s boring.

Had I not chosen to travel right out of college, I’d have boxed myself into an office job, devoting too many my waking hours to keeping a corporation functional. Fun, right? Sure, there’s the promise of prestige and access to worldly possessions with a well-salaried job, but I don’t value those things enough to center my early 20s around them.

The thrill of exploring somewhere new, making memories with locals and travelers alike, participating in a different culture, gathering life lessons from people whose lives are far different from mine, and simply taking advantage of being alive in such a huuuuuge, vibrant world means so much more to me than having a fancy car, living in a fancy neighborhood, or working for this-and-this company. We don’t live through our possessions. We live through our experiences. And I want as many of them as possible.

Though I’ve been out of school for several months now, I’m not done being a student. For the past 18 years, I’ve sat in a variety of classrooms: Big, cramped, colorful, bland…But now, the world is my classroom, the experiences I’m gathering are my textbooks, and the folks I’m meeting are my teachers. Learning has never felt more exhilarating.

How I am Traveling ✈️💸

Many of you have questions regarding how I am traveling, what’s my monthly budget, and what my living arrangements look like. To be honest, I wish I’d shared these details with y’all earlier. The number of times I’d had someone back home shoot me a puzzled look and say, “You’re going where when? Are you going alone?” is beyond me. So, here are my long-overdue answers to your questions…

How are you traveling affordably?

For the last few months, I’ve been using this cultural exchange platform called Workaway to find hosts in the areas I’m interested in. In return for volunteering 20-25 hours per week, my hosts provide free housing, food, and the opportunity to participate in their daily life. They also take me to see local attractions or offer a means, such as a car or bicycle, to visit them myself.

My biggest expense is the plane ticket each month, which so far has fallen within the range of $100-$200. I’ll take a deeper dive into how I handle my finances in future posts. If this topic interests you, stay updated by following “Macy Sees The World”.

Why did you choose Workaway?

Many people think constant travel must be hectic. You’re always roaming from place to place, rarely able to catch a break in-between each new destination, but that is far from the truth.

By living with hosts, I can stay in one place for weeks, even months at a time. Plus, I get to experience new places from the perspective of locals while immersing myself in their community.

Building meaningful relationships wherever I go is another benefit of traveling through Workaway. Travel isn’t just about experiencing a place. It’s also about experiencing people: The locals and travelers you meet along the way make each destination 10x more memorable.

Are you traveling alone?

I may be traveling alone, but I’m not living alone. From when I get on the plane to when I reach my new destination, I’m alone among strangers. But the moment I meet my host and enter their house, I’m technically not alone or among strangers anymore.

We sleep, eat, work, and relax in their house together. We go to stores and restaurants together. We frequent local attractions and events together. In a nutshell: Solo-traveling does not mean you have to experience a place alone. You just have to find the right people to experience it with.

How do you decide on your destinations?

I consider several factors when making my decisions. Weather is one of them. The lifestyle I’ll get to experience is another. But the most important factor is always curiosity. I choose places that will offer me a novel experience that I can’t get anywhere else.

That’s why for my first destination, I chose to try out a hobby farm in Oregon (you can read more about it here). And why for my second destination, I chose Louisiana. I mean, where else can you experience the intersection of Spanish, French, African, and Native American culture on a day-to-day basis in more tangible ways than in this state?!

The fun thing about traveling is that there are so many different ways to approach it. Some people prefer to stay in expensive resorts. Others embrace the digital nomad life, working remotely as they go. Still, others leave home on a whim—Planless, mapless, and fearless. Though travelers come in all shapes and sizes, one thing unites us: We’re all looking to escape our comfort zone.

Adventure with Me 🤝!

One of the challenges of solo traveling is, well, you’re solo. The memories you forge and the insights you glean are treasures you alone cherish. As sweet as it is knowing that God is with me wherever I roam, still, I long to share this journey with other people.

The Macy Sees The World Newsletter!!! 💌

As I’d mentioned earlier, just because you’re traveling solo, does not mean you have to experience a place alone. Every journey is brighter and more purposeful when you bring others along. But how to do that without them leaving their homes or even so much as taking off their jammies? Well, let’s just say contemplating this question is what led to the idea for Macy Sees The World. Here’s what you’ll get out of it:

Unfiltered personal stories documenting the everyday joys and risks of solo-traveling
Information on the history and culture of each destination for a more immersive reading (or listening) experience
Travel advice and resources to help you prepare for your next trip (or your own solo-travel adventure)
Mistakes I’m making and lessons I’m learning as I grow my substack
Lastly, a wider, more empathetic perspective of the world

Social media is great for sharing short bursts of information (and trust me, I’ll keep posting) but it’s less ideal for sharing more in-depth details. Stories are far better for capturing the authentic, human aspect of travel, the aspect that makes flying thousands of miles across the globe by yourself and being away from everyone you know for God knows how long worth it. Travel media comes in all shapes and sizes. 10-second, hyper-edited videos have their purpose, and so do personal articles.

Setting Sail ⛵

Here’s the truth—I need to find me a telescope if I want to see the top of this learning curve. Yep, it’s that steep. But you know what? I’m ready.

Traveling the world isn’t an opportunity I want to keep to myself. It’s one I want to share with you because you—whether you’re a friend from back home or a friend I met on the road—are important to me.

Adventure is calling. So, what do you say?

Macy Sees The World